Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-12-22

Ine presidents message eXcites out
little comment, It's brevity Is com
mendable. There are but two vital
points about the message. that OF the
surplus and tariff, and on both of
these the document Is simply what
everybody anticipated. and therefore
no one Is disappointed. 1t is nothing
moro or less than laying down the
democratic platform for next year.
The time was when the presidents
message was studied with great inter
est, but In these latter days II appears
more like the plea of pettifoger-a
sort of stump speech. The republi-
cans care nothing about 1t, and ! don't
suppose the democrats do very much.
Mr.. Lamar has been nominated for
the Supreme Bench. Whether he will
be confirmed or not Is serious ques-
ton. The talk is that several senator's
will rake up his record pretty thorough
lIy. ] suppose Lamar is just as bitter
rebel to-day as he ever was. and be-
lieves In state right doglnas as firmly
as jeff Davis does. If so, his confir-
nation should give republican senator's
pause.
Gen. Villas takes Lamar's place as
Secretary of the Interior that is a
promotion, and doubtless deserved.
Dickinson, of Michigan succeeds vi
las as Postmaster General. The under
standing is that Dickinson has con-
tracted to transfer the State of Michi-
gan to the democratic camp, but there
is a good deal of doubt about his abil-
| ity to deliver the goods. Michigan re-
publicans laugh most heartily over the
idea.
Every new congress brings disap-
pointmt mt and heartaches TO scores OF
men. The changes this session among
the subordinate positions of the House
seem to be unusually large. and are
taking some of the higher grade,
whose long years service led them to
believe that they were indispensable.
Harry Smith, the Journal Clerk, is
one; Col. Bacon, of Document rec
ords, is another; Judge Virgins, of
the File Room, is one more, with n
large number of lesser employees, com
mittee clerks. etc. The ups and
downs of political life are mysterious.
In to-day, out TO morrow Is the short
biography Of many good fellow.
There is some difficulty in arranging
the senate committees. Every senator
wants the craftsmanship of good
committee, and there are not enough
to go around. Hence the difficulty
and more or less pulling and hauling.
and consequently disappointment
Speaker Carlisle has an immense job
on his hands in arranging the House
committees, and is going to take three
weeks to do it, and then probably
there will be great dissatisfaction.
Our congressman are all big men at
home, and want TO be here, but there
is scarcely room enough. The house
is grand place to clip wings, and
many of the hundred and thirty new
members will find it SO before the. SEES
sion ~ over.
Georgia has the most arrogant dele
cation of any state in the Union. She
has ten members in the house, and
they were elected by an aggregate vote
of less than 60, 900, nothing compared
with Dakota, and yet these ten men
are going to vote solidly against the
admission of Dakota, Talk about a
peoples government, but what JUS
tice is there in this iDstance'
South Carolina has two strong men
in the senate-Hampton and Butter
but her delegation in the house is way
down at the foot CT the intellectual
ladder. Texas stands on the same
round with her, and If It were possible
to find lower one, North Carolina
would get the prize.
The Western States have tffe strong
est delegation in both wings of the
Capitol and completely overshadow
the old Atlantic and Southern States
The center of real power Is west of
the Ohio. 1t is strange how these
things come around, but they do
come, and we have TO face the facts.
Tlfe geat Northwestern states are
bound to control this government
and shape its policy, and the
politician who does not recognize the
the fact will be left out in the cold.
If were an asoiran, for any position
| should hail frou the west.